If the passengers' portable electronics could actually cause a plane to crash, wouldn't they be banned completely rather than during takeoffs/landings?
by 
machinerat
ANSWERS: 3
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That's because they actually can't. The companies and FCC are just being paranoid because airline deaths are always bad press and always freak people out. Plus, how annoying would it be to have everyone on the plane talking on a cell phone? I think it's a dumb law, but I still appreciate it.
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Yes, you are basically correct. If they do cause interference with navigation instruments, we would use other means of navigation. On departure, it may be (usually is) vectors, but on arrival (instrument conditions), a missed approach would be called for when navigation flags appear on the indicators. The only way it could cause a crash would be if the pilots did not follow appropriate loss of navigation procedures. Mythbusters did testing with portable electronics in a cockpit with digital navigation equipment, and found no interference at all. I saw first hand, the interference with older style analog ILS / VOR equipment when a cell phone was left on (in the cockpit) while still on the ground. It flagged the captains instrument during a test (he had left his phone on).
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Tveg is correct. An american airlines test pilot told me that the restriction is also in place so that the passengers are paying attention during the safety briefing and at times that they might have to recieve direction from the flight attendants. There is a danger of HIRF interferance with cockpit instuments and it would impossible and expensive to test every variation of electrical interferance.
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